The Paetahi Tumu K?rero Bachelor of Counselling is a professional, practice-oriented counselling degree designed for students who want to enter the counselling profession at a beginning practitioner level.

The programme develops knowledge and skills in areas including:

• Counselling theory
• Counselling practice
• Mental health
• Addictions
• Human development
• Psychology
• Family and wh?nau
• Children and young people
• Professional practice
• Law
• Ethics
• Research
• M?ori and Western approaches to counselling
• Bicultural practice
• Group work
• Supervised counselling practice

Practical / Industry-Based Learning

Practicum is one of the strongest features of this degree.

NMIT states that practical placements are critical to the programme and professional development.

Year 1

Students are introduced to practice learning, with emphasis on:

• Understanding the practice environment
• Group processes
• Beginning professional counselling skills

Year 2

Students move further into:

• Counselling practice
• Group work
• Placement learning
• Supervised practice

Year 3

Students continue advanced practice and supervised placement learning.

Safety Checking / Police Vetting

This is particularly important because students undertake practical work involving people and potentially vulnerable groups.

NMIT states that candidates/students will undergo safety checks under the Vulnerable Children Act 2014 and relevant child-protection policies.

Checks may include:

• Formal interview
• Referee checks
• Police vet check
• Risk assessment

An unsatisfactory result can result in the applicant being:

• Declined entry
• Prevented from participating
• Withdrawn from the programme

Practice Focus / Specialisation

The programme provides a practice focus rather than traditional majors.

In the final year, students can select one of three practice focuses:

1. Mental Health & Addictions Counselling

Suitable for students interested in:

• Mental health
• Addiction services
• Recovery support
• Addiction counselling
• Co-existing problems

2. Family / Wh?nau Counselling

Suitable for students interested in:

• Families
• Wh?nau
• Relationships
• Family wellbeing
• Community counselling

3. Children & Young People

Suitable for students interested in:

• Children
• Adolescents
• Young people
• Child and family services
• Youth support

Counselling Practice and Placement

This deserves special attention for international applicants.

The programme is not simply an academic degree.

NMIT explicitly describes practice-based learning as a significant element.

Students progressively move from:

Understanding the practice environment

? Beginning counselling practice

? Supervised counselling

? Professional placement

? Advanced practice

Career Outcomes

Graduates can work in a range of:

• Social-service organisations
• Mental-health services
• Counselling services
• Community agencies
• Family/wh?nau support services
• Youth services
• Addiction-related services
• Other counselling-related roles